Best High Temp Paint For Smokers

You have recently bought a smoker and after relentless use of it to churn out plates and plates of delicious food. You realized that the paint has started to peel, and it does not seem as shiny and glossy as when you first got it. You wanted to restore it to former glory, and you have no idea how to do it. Here, we delve in deep and share with you what are the best high temp paint for smokers. These are also called Hi Temp Paints.

If you here to look for a fast recommendation, we suggest that you go for the Rust-Oleum 7778830 for a start. It is affordable (read: cheap) and is resistant to temperature as high as 1,200F.

Why Do You Need A High Temp Paint?

You should have known this by now. When you are smoking food, the temperature of the smoker can go up to around 400F depending on what you are smoking. The firebox, especially, will take the most beating as the fuel are burnt and generating the heat required to cook your food, for hours no less.

To counteract the heat and make sure that you freshly painted smoker can last as long as it could, it is always recommended to get paint that can endure high temperatures. If you do not, these high temperatures can force the solvent in the coating off and cause the paint to not stick to your smoker. Thereafter, these high heats can stimulate oxidation and results in rusting, pitting, or even structural damage to your smoker.

Why Does Paint Peels?

Other than the high heat, there are several reasons why the coating can come off your smoker.

Reason #1. Grease And Oil

During smoking and or grilling, there is always grease and oil seeping out from the food. These grease and oil substances will prevent the paint from sticking on the surface of the smoker. Therefore, always wipe your smoker clean when you have the chance.

Reason #2. Moisture

Storing your smoker during winter is common sense as you do want the unneeded moisture to cause your smoker to rust. Taking a step backward, the fact that moisture can cause your smoker to rust also means that the moisture has permeated the paint and cause the coating to not hold.

Reason #3. Smooth Surface

I bet you have not given the surface of your smoker a touch. You will find that the exterior of the smoker is rugged and rough to the touch. Some might think that this is a marketing gimmick to give you that premium feel that this smoker is tough. However, this rugged surface contributes to the durability of the coating.

Reason #4. Time

It is inevitable that coating will eventually bow to time. The adhesive strength of the coating will deteriorate over time, and there will be a time where the paint will start to chip and curl.

Things To Consider When Choosing A High Temp Paint

Consideration #1. The Temperature Range

When selecting a high temp paint, the very first thing that you should look at is the temperature range that it can operate in – else it defeats the purpose isn’t it? Generally, we consider that a quality high temp paint should at the minimum, operates at 1,200F.

Consideration #2. The Amount Of Paint

Depends on how big your smoker is and the amount of surface area that you are going to cover, you will need to get those that can accommodate your needs. Imagine spray painting and find out that you are out of paint in the middle of it. That can be frustrating and means that you will need to wait for a day before you get that smoker up and running again.

Consideration #3. It Should Dry Quickly

This comes in handy if you are going to coat your smoker more than once. If the paint does not dry quickly, it might take half a day of your time just to get the task done.

Consideration #4. Black Or No Black

The first color that comes to your mind when choosing a high temp paint should be black – and for good reason. Black helps to absorb and retain heat in the smoker, which, albeit not significant, helps to shorten the cooking time for your food. However, if you are thinking of a white smoker instead, feel free.

Consideration #5. Water Resistance

A quality high temperature paint or coating should also be able to provide resistance to moisture when you are storing it offseason. Similarly, the paint should also be able to provide protection against corrosion against oil, grease, salt, and rust.

The Best High Temp Paints For Smokers You Can Get

#1. Forrest Paint Stove and Fireplace Paint

The first paint that makes our list comes from Forrest paint. These cans of paint are formulated with a blend of heat resistant pigments in a silicone polymer resin, which gives it it’s high resistance to heat as only non-organic can survive temperatures above 400F. These 12 ounces spray cans are enough to accommodate around 12 square feet of surface area.

This also provides it with good color retention when working with temperatures above 1,200F. While you should not reach such high temperatures when smoking, it wouldn’t hurt to have a higher threshold in this case.

The Forrest Paint canisters are suitable for use for metal surfaces. If you need to, you can use it for wood surfaces or your gas stoves as well. Moreover, these paints dry quickly and allow you to finish the task quickly.

Features At A Glance

#2. Rutland Products 80 1200 Degree Hi-Temp Paint

The next one comes from Rutland. Similar to any good high temp paint, this spray paint can endure up to 1,200F of heat, which is more than ample for any kind of smoker. This flat black spray paint can adhere to steel, cast iron, aluminum, and most other metallic surfaces and will be able to restore your smoker to its former glory.

Each can come in 9.9 ounces canister and should be able to cover a surface area of around 10 square feet. At the point of writing, on the color black is available.

Features At A Glance

#3. MEECO’S RED DEVIL 405 Spray Paint

If you are looking for a little more gloss and bling bling in your smoker. Then consider the Meeco’s Red Devil. This high quality and fast drying gloss black spray paint can endure up to 1,200F of heat and will do the work for smokers. Of course, if you are intending to use it for other kinds of surfaces such as stove pipe, it will work as well.

Each can of comes in 12 ounces aerosol spray canisters and should be able to cover a surface area of around 12 square feet. Use a primer for better results.

If you have been grilling or smoking for a long enough time, you would have probably heard of the Rust-Oleum paint. This can be considered as the Goliath in the smokers’ paint market. Rust-Oleum High Heat Enamel Spray Paint is formulated to renew and protect metal surfaces subject to extreme heat. – read: Smoking and Grilling.

The resultant tough satin finish is durable and corrosion resistant and your smoker can last as long it should be. For multiple coating, this paint dries in just 30 minutes so that you won’t have to delay your next smoke.

The Rust Oleum can be applied to wood stoves, radiators, engines, and other metallic items and work just as well if you need to. Each can come in 12 ounces and can be applied to approximately 12 square feet of surfaces.

Features At A Glance

#5. Rust-Oleum Automotive 260771 11-Ounce High Heat Spray

If for some reason you are thinking that you will exceed 1,200F in your smoking – we will be puzzled, then consider this spray from Rust-Oleum. Also coming with resistance against gas and oil, this specially formulated spray paint stops rust in its tracks and can resist well against humidity.

This spray can resist heat up to a temperature of 2,000F and can keep your smoker safe from damage from high heat at least. You will need to bake the smoker after applying the paint for maximum effect.

What Are The Steps To Repaint Your Smoker?

There are just a couple of easy steps to make your smoker looks and works as good as new.

Step 1: Cleaning

First of all, you will need to clean your smoker surface thoroughly as any oil or grease will cause the paint to not stick onto your smoker. You can use any cleaner on the market to remove the grease.

Step 2: De-Rusting The Surface

To de-rust the surface, you can use a wire brush to scrub the rusted surface. After you give it a good dressing down, sand the surface with sandpaper to pick up those remnants that could not be reached with the brush. Make sure to remove the rust as any remnants will continue to eat into the metal, like steel, even after you coated it over with paint. After de rusting it, make sure that the surface dries before performing the next step. Also, it is at this juncture, you must sure that the interior of the smoker is well covered as you do not want to accidentally coat them. You do not need to scrape every bit of paint off, just make sure that the surface is clean and free of rust.

Step 3: Coating With Paint

Start with a thin coat of paint. Make sure that you cover every exposed inch of metal on your smoker. You will need more than one coat to make sure that it is evenly coated. This should help to make your smoker last as long as it should be. Once the coating is dry, fire up your smoker to cure the paint and lo and behold, it is done.

To Paint Or Not To Paint

In this article, we have gone through the step by step to help you find the best high temp paint for smokers. By any chance you are still undecided what to go for, we suggest that you go for the Rust-Oleum 7778830 for a start. Happy smoking!

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